In integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing, individual IC elements are formed and tested using various pieces of manufacturing equipment to perform multiple operations. Substrates on which the ICs are built are moved between and within the various pieces of equipment while being protected from impurities that could compromise circuit function. Such movement often includes handling substrates with devices that contact the substrates at multiple locations.
Manufacturing of IC substrates increasingly includes backside operations in which various materials are used to form bottom layers. These bottom layers often come into contact with substrate handling devices.